Talia's POV
I had to rush to finish off a cigarette this morning because it began to storm and I was pretty particular about the weather I smoked in. Something about inhaling something deadly in the rain made me feel shitty. Being able to stare at the sun made it better for me. I didn't know what the logic was behind that, really.
Rain always caused me to do spontaneous things like jump in my mom's SUV and take a forty-nine minute drive, with current traffic, according to the GPS, to Los Angeles, so I could talk to Ashton. I spent four hours last night thinking of clever and poetic ways to make an apology and/or try to get through to Ashton. I came up with absolutely nothing.
Not even halfway through the drive I realized I was sitting in silence and had zoned out, which was not the safest thing when one was driving. I was surprised I had made it this far without hitting anything or anyone.
I blast "A Lack Of Understanding" by The Vaccines at reasonable volume. One of my pet peeves was when people played their music so loud in their car you could feel the bass and it overrided your own music.
I began humming along to the song, one that was a favorite of mine and Luke's, it was probably the only song by The Vaccines that we could agree was a common favorite. He was a "Nørgaard" kinda person and I was an "I Always Knew" person. We'd meant to see them live at least once but always succeeded in missing their tour dates nearby or were never able to go because one of us was busy.
Luke texted me the code to get in front gate of the house so I didn't have to get let in by one of the other guys and be hounded with questions. I pulled into the driveway, taking a triple take of the house that seemed all too grand for a couple of punks to be living in. Management spoiled them to the highest degree. The house looked very futuristic with the rustic gray color of the exterior, which wasn't a big theme of the house because it was mainly consumed by large windows that made it clear as to why they had a gated area. If it wasn't gated, I was sure all of the neighborhood would be able to see Calum humping his friends and running around nude.
I hoist my oversized black cardigan above my head as I try my best to run at a rapid pace to the front door without ending up completely drenched in rain. There was many puddles in my path that I stepped in, causing my boots to become heavy with water and making my socks soaked. I think we could universally agree that wet socks were a gift from Satan.
I rung the doorbell in a hurry, mainly because I was anxious to get this over with and because I was slightly cold. Michael answered the door, wearing black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt that looked really cozy right now.
"Has the pretty girl finally come to her senses and realized that she should be with me?" Michael smirked.
"If that excites you, then, yes Michael." I rolled my eyes. I'd probably have better luck with Michael than Ashton. He was always very flirtatious with me...or maybe he was actually just a really horny soul. "I'm actually here to see Ashton."
"That's not a good idea right now..." Was he hiding something?
"And why's that?" I tapped my heel on the ground, feeling the overabundance of water in my boot soak into my sock further.
"How about you and I get some lunch and then go to the beach?" He offered, pulling on a beanie that was slightly darker in color than his sweatshirt.
"There's a sixty percent chance that it's raining, Michael." I was annoyed and I just wanted him to let me in because if this was prolonged anymore I'd back out of it.
"Even better! We can recreate that infamous kiss in The Notebook." Michael reached for my hands that were dangling on either side of me, but I quickly slapped his hands away.
